You open your banking app and it shows an error. A shopping app refuses to load, or a video site asks you to "turn off your VPN". You switch the VPN off, everything works, and then the rest of your phone is no longer protected. This is one of the most common frustrations VPN users have.

Since April 2026, people in Russia have run into this far more often, because several large platforms started restricting users with an active VPN. This guide explains why services react to VPNs at all, what happened in Russia, and how a transparent setting called split tunneling lets you keep chosen apps on your normal connection while the rest of your traffic stays inside the VPN.

Why services react to VPN connections

When you use a VPN, websites and apps see the IP address of the VPN server instead of yours. To them, you appear to be connecting from the server's network, sometimes in another country. Services can respond to that for several reasons:

  • Fraud checks. Banks and payment services often look at where a login comes from. A sudden change of network or country can trigger extra checks or a block.
  • Regional rules. Streaming services, shops and public services may only be allowed to serve users in certain regions, and an IP address is one way they estimate location.
  • Regulation. In some countries, authorities require platforms to restrict VPN users. That is what happened in Russia in 2026.

None of this means the VPN is doing anything wrong. It is simply doing its job of hiding your real address, and the service is reacting to what it sees.

What happened in Russia in April 2026

Meduza reported on 30 April 2026 that in late March the Digital Development Ministry told major platforms to block access for users with an active VPN or lose their place on the government's "white lists" of approved services. By mid-April, Gosuslugi (the state services portal), Sberbank, Ozon, Wildberries, Aviasales, Yandex services and Russian Railways had begun denying access to VPN users. The restrictions also caught people who were simply located abroad.

Earlier, on 14 April 2026, Meduza had relayed user reports, which it did not independently verify, that some sections of Mail.ru's news feed showed a banner asking readers to disable their VPN and that VK videos failed to load. A Meduza editor saw a VK notice saying video would load faster without a VPN.

The change had a cost for the platforms too. On 15 May 2026 Meduza, citing a study by Digital Budget reported by Kommersant, wrote that companies had until 15 April to block VPN users, and that mobile traffic in April compared with March fell by 10% at Wildberries, 3% at Ozon and Yandex Market, and 1.5% at Avito. The study estimated the loss at about 7 billion rubles.

For a wider view of the rules behind this, see Russia's VPN rules in 2026.

What split tunneling is

Split tunneling means sending only part of your traffic through the VPN while the rest uses your normal connection. The most practical form on a phone is per-app split tunneling: you choose which apps go through the VPN, or which apps stay outside it.

Android supports this directly. According to the Android Developers documentation, a VPN app can create either an allowed list or a disallowed list of apps, but not both. With an allowed list, only the listed apps use the VPN and all others use the system networks as if the VPN isn't running. With a disallowed list, the listed apps use the normal connection and everything else goes through the VPN. The lists must be set before the connection is established, so changing them means reconnecting.

This is a standard, visible setting. It doesn't disguise anything: the excluded app simply connects the way it would without a VPN, from your real address, and the service sees exactly what it expects.

When split tunneling makes sense

  • Banking and payment apps that react badly to a changing IP address.
  • Local services and public portals that only serve users on domestic connections.
  • Local streaming or TV apps tied to your home region.
  • Work tools such as a company VPN client or a local file sync that needs a direct connection.

It also has trade-offs worth keeping in mind:

  • Excluded apps are not protected by the VPN. Their traffic goes over your normal network, so on public Wi-Fi they rely on their own encryption (most banking apps use HTTPS). See our public Wi-Fi guide for habits that help.
  • "Block connections without VPN" interacts with lists. Android's documentation warns that when non-VPN traffic is blocked, apps that aren't covered by the lists can lose their connection. Check that the apps you need still work after changing settings.
  • Fewer exceptions is safer. Exclude only the apps that need it, not everything that ever shows an error.

How to set it up

On Android, the VPNRice app has per-app VPN in its settings: choose which apps use the VPN, for example your browser and messengers, while a banking app keeps your normal connection. Per-app mode runs on WireGuard. The Windows app offers app filtering for programs you want to keep on your direct connection. On iPhone and iPad, all traffic goes through the VPN while it is connected, because the app does not offer per-app selection there.

In other VPN apps, look for settings called "split tunneling", "per-app VPN", "app filter" or "excluded apps".

Checking that it works

After setting up split tunneling:

  1. Connect the VPN.
  2. Open a browser that goes through the VPN and visit What is my IP. It should show the VPN server's address.
  3. Open the excluded app and confirm it works as usual.
  4. If the excluded app still complains, disconnect, check the list and reconnect, since the lists only take effect on a new connection.

Key takeaways

  • Services restrict VPN users mostly because of fraud checks, regional rules or, in some countries, regulation.
  • In Russia, major platforms began denying access to VPN users by mid-April 2026, after a ministry demand; users abroad were affected too.
  • Per-app split tunneling lets selected apps use your normal connection while the rest stays protected.
  • Excluded apps lose VPN protection, so keep the list short and use it with care on public networks.